Care Leaver Payment: consultation
We are gathering views on the proposed Care Leaver Payment. The consultation contains questions on a range of issues including the purpose of the payment, the eligibility criteria of the payment, and the support required to apply for and manage the payment.
3. Proposed Care Leaver Payment
In the SNP Manifesto 2021 and the subsequent Programmes for Government in 2021/22 and 2022/23, the Scottish Government committed to developing a payment to provide young people moving on from care with additional financial security. To fulfil this commitment, the Scottish Government proposes the establishment of a Care Leaver Payment. This payment has been referred to as the 'Care Experience Grant' in previous Manifesto and Programme for Government commitments.
The name of the assistance set out in the previous commitments has been changed to better reflect the intention of the payment, which is to support young people as they move on from care and transition into adulthood. The name of the payment has also been changed to align with other forms of assistance currently provided by the Scottish Government.
The proposed Care Leaver Payment will form part of a broader package of support which includes, but is not limited to, access to Continuing Care and Aftercare support for care leavers, the Care Experience Bursary and Council Tax Exemption for care leavers.
It is proposed that the Care Leaver Payment will provide a one-off payment to young people moving on from care, with the intention of helping to reduce some of the financial barriers they face whilst moving into adulthood and more independent living.
A provision has been included within the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill which will give Scottish Ministers the power to establish one or more schemes to provide care experience assistance. This power will allow the Scottish Ministers to establish the proposed Care Leaver Payment by way of regulations.
Details of the eligibility criteria, application processes and delivery model of the payment are still to be determined. Future consultation on the details on the payment, including the administrative arrangements, will be conducted before the new powers in the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill are exercised. However, for the purposes of this consultation, the current proposal for the Care Leaver Payment has been set out below.
Contact
Email: careleaverpayment@gov.scot
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